Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Growing up as a ninja always taught someone what they loved versus what they often learned to hate. Simple moments often taken advantage by commoners were golden days to the ninja. Everyday was a new battle, and downtime was a luxury in their terms. So, when time allowed for such playful matters, the ninja naturally took advantage of it.

On a fateful Monday in January was when such time was given. The battle of Oni had been a pressing matter only weeks earlier, and the recovery had been far from easy. Naturally, the ninja had been very protective of Lloyd due to his - technical 'death' - pressing on all their hears, and Cole had been learning to accept that darkness wasn't going to hurt him. It was both encouraging and depressing. They were only kids, not even adults at fault. But yet, the world rested in their developing bodies along with their not fully developed minds.

It simply wasn't fair

Though they had learned to recover beyond it all, if that be any miracle itself. It had been Jay's idea to build gingerbread houses even though December had been long past overdue. No one had the heart to say that the festive idea didn't belong in July, at least they were doing something not dangerous for once. And there was nothing wrong with truthfully enjoying themselves regardless of the season.

Cole and Kai had been the famous duo to be chosen to get the ingredients needed. Although neither complained, which was rare considering their personalities. Instead, they opted to walk to the grocery store, goes knows that they needed to be normal for once.

"Are we almost there? My feet hurtttttt," Kai complained. It had been poor judgement on their parts, as the store had been no shy than ten miles from the monastery. The hot-head blamed Nya for not thinking about the walk distance-wise.

Blaming each other had been becoming far too common these days

"We literally have been walking for five minutes," Cole internally groaned. "We'll be there soon."

"How soon?"

"Can you not complain for once?"

Kai grinned. "I'm sorry, Rocky. But complaining is my whole brand, would you rather that I pouted instead?"

"At least I wouldn't have to hear it," Cole crossed his arms. "I can't even get one peaceful day."

"Put that on the backburner, we're here!"

The store was large with numerous amounts of people loitering around. Many of whom noticed the ninja before they made it into the entrance.

"Look it's the fire ninja, he's the coolest!"

"Oh my gosh, its Cole! My favorite!"

The duo grinned as they waved to the surrounding people, it felt good to be appreciated. After all the work that they've been through, a few thank you's went a long way. It almost felt so good that Kai hadn't been watching where he was going. Crashing into a young women with long purple hair, she gasped as her groceries went flying out of her hands.

"I'm so sorry!" The red ninja quickly apologized as he grabbed the fruits and vegetables littering the cold, grey pavement. "I should watch where I was going."

The young girl gave a small chuckle. "It's ok, I would crash into someone with all this attention to."

"I should be used to it, but I'm sadly not," Kai grinned. "I'm Kai."

"Nice to meet you, Kai. I'm Evolet."

"Pretty name."

"Thanks, my parents wanted me to have a name that matched my hair color," She pointed towards her dark violet hair. "They thought they were being creative."

Kai raised an eyebrow. "Oh, I see. Your parents seem like fun people, maybe I ought to meet them someday."

Evolet grinned widely. "That'd be the day, my parents aren't very friendly."

"You're in luck, I'm a very non-friendly person. We would get right along. But I should let you go; I've kept you in my head for long enough.

The red ninja turned to leave with a big smile, it been a long time since a girl had indulged such feelings, the last being Skylor who had been missing for quite some time now. As he met up with Cole, the young earth ninja only shook his head clearly out of amusement.

"WAIT!"

Turning around, the duo watched Evolet run up to them. By the time she reached them, her breathing was quite heavy.

"Is everything ok?" Cole asked.

Evolet looked up with large eyes. "How's Lloyd?"

Cole and Kai stopped, their mind going on high alert. Why would someone whom they had just met, be so interested in how their little green bean was doing? It was unsettling and considering their past, it was a clear pattern undercover villains showed.

Lloyd had been through enough as if, and clearly did not need more on his plate. The rest of the ninja were determined to keep it that way. He was their little brother, nobody and I mean nobody, messed with their family without getting away with it.

The youngest was no exception

"He's fine," Cole spoke sternly. "Why are you asking?"

"No reason, just judging by the news, it seemed that he had a rough time during this pervious battle. I just want to make sure that he is ok."

It all sounded true, as dying did happen to land in that category. The ninja would never know if their friend died that day, or if Master Wu wasn't able to decipher a pulse and had simply messed up. But it all didn't matter now, it was in the past.

"Oh…uh yeah he's recovering day by day." Kai gave an uneasy smile. "Nothing can take down our green machine."

"Of course," Evolet lightly shook her head. "I should've known better, Lloyd's the best ninja. Well, thanks for answering my question."

She took off before any of them could respond to her question. But it did leave a heartfelt fear that they were very accustomed too. Neither of them made a move towards the store, their minds stuck on the conversation spoken previously.

"Was that weird…or was that super-duper weird?" Kai asked, but Cole was too busy pulling out his phone. He had to know, had to hear Lloyd's voice, had to make sure that he had just met a Lloyd superfan and nothing more.

He dialed the number with haste, quickly bringing it to his ear.

Ring…ring… ring… ring

Meanwhile, Kai was patiently waiting. His foot hitting the concrete in a rhythm that never ceased to calm him down. It almost made Cole's nerves shot.

Ring…ring…ring…ring

Then Kai watched it happen, the very moment that Cole's face turned from worry to pure horror. The very way that his look also transformed into.

"Cole?"

"Lloyd didn't answer."

NINJAGO

"Whose idea was this again?"

"Not mine."

In reality, when Jay had asked Cole and Kai to get the supplies, it was simple. But they were ninja, nothing was ever meant to be easy. It had been only five minutes since the duo left, and Jay was already getting bored.

So, he suggested that they make a pyramid, which wasn't the problem. The problem was that Jay miscalculated and positioned them near the sink. Which was full of water…and Lloyd's phone had been in his pocket.

It doesn't take a genius to know what happened next

"JAY!"

Lloyd's phone slipped out of his pocket and landed in the sink, which happened to be full of soapy water. There was only a crackle as the phone laid defeated on the sink floor.

"No!"

Lloyd jumped off the top of the pyramid and raced to get his phone. Grabbing it, he sighed as the phone displayed multiple colors while flashing.

"Well, that's totaled," the green ninja placed his drenched phone on the counter. "Hopefully nobody needs to reach me anytime soon."

"I might be able to fix it, but it'll be a little while," Nya sighed.

The others got off the pyramid, their eyes looking towards the defeated Lloyd. Things were sadly never that easy, but it was just a phone. It was fixable, unlike some things.

"This idea of Jay's seemed to be unsuccessful," Zane computed. "I'll add this to the album of failures created by Jay."

"What?" The electric ninja stammered. "That's a thing?"

"I started to lose count, so naturally I made an album to always remember everything. It's quite useful."

Jay lightly smacked Zane, of whom gave a small chuckle. Lloyd just rolled his eyes at their antic's, yet still mourning for his newly deceased phone.

"Some things never change. I hope that Kai and Cole don't need to reach us." Nya sighed. But she had trust in her brothers. And honestly…who could possibly mess up a grocery run?

Apparently, she needed to stop asking questions

Chapter Text

Kai and Cole had in fact not returned with the graham crackers and the other needless supplies. But to be fair, the conversation given previously had weighted quite heavily on their hearts. And given the battle that was just beaten, it was becoming more common for Lloyd to be targeted.

…they were totally not overprotective, just worried

Or at least that's what they told themselves as they raced back to the monastery with their hands empty. Though not their hearts, as only worry and as some would say, ptsd, was filling their pumping machines with such things. With such words that only ceased to cause more panic in their minds.

This was a feeling that was they were very accustomed too

Many would call it intuition, but the ninja simply called it their everyday life. There was never a dull day where a villain didn't strike, if it was only given one day. The day was never over until conflict striked, as this was sadly their reality now. Even if the war had since long been defeated.

But when did the war ever end? And what could they possibly do to stop every villain from turning on them so quickly?

As much as the ninja were victorious against impossible feats, they were also human with weaknesses. Maybe that's why it was so hard to accept that they were not the given saviors of their world just yet. That there was so much more that they would have to learn.

So much that they had to know and learn

It was a painfully slow process, but at least they were not stagnant. Unlike most people in Ninjago. And at least the ninja had the company of each other, even if endless worrying about death was involved. It almost made being a ninja worth it.

…almost

Another perk to being a ninja was the possibility of always having vehicles on hand, as it was almost a necessity at this point. But that plot point seemed to have been lost in all the excitement. Cole made sure to never rush out of the monastery without a plan again.

Or at least he would try, there were no guarantees

"I wish we brought my car," Kai grumbled. "Lloyd could be abducted by now because we forgot to bring a stupid vehicle."

"It's not stupid if we want it so bad."

"Not now Cole, please not now."

The black ninja frowned deeply, as his attempt to shed light on the situation failed greatly. Though he happened to know where Kai was currently standing. It wasn't a great feeling.

Running towards the monastery, Cole struggled to keep up with the fire ninja. It wasn't as if he wasn't necessarily worried about Lloyd, for he was a great deal. But Kai had a whole different story when it came to protecting Lloyd, something about promising the young green ninja when they were younger. There wasn't a need for a promise in the first place though, as Kai protected each and every one of the ninja with a fiery passion. Much like his element.

It was weirdly fitting

Cole, like his element, happened to be likened unto a stern rock with an underlying protectiveness as well. He just happened to be more quiet about it, unlike the latter.

"Kai, wait for me!" Cole panted, his breaths coming out in uneasy streams. He tried to pick up speed, but stamina was never his strongest suit. Much like his element, Cole was built for strong attacks and slightly strong defenses. But never stamina, the earth had its limits.

Instead, the red ninja simply picked up speed. Forcing the black ninja to run even faster, far against his wishes. But with due luck, the duo reached the monastery only ten minutes later. Both panting from the sudden strain of movement, and lack of stillness within their slightly peaceful atmosphere.

"LLOYD!" Kai yelled. "Where are you?!"

"Lloyd!" Cole mirrored his friend's call

-0-

Lloyd had been trying to soak his phone in rice when he heard it, the pleading that caused his heart to break. Never had he heard such fear spoken in his name, it was always him voicing the heartbreak. Try being the green ninja and losing everything, it would be bound to happen.

The other ninja heard as well, rushing towards the courtyard to see a very distraught Kai and a seemingly close to breaking Cole. When the duo landed their eyes on Lloyd, they came rushing up to hug the confused green ninja.

Not that Lloyd didn't love hugs, he often initiated them. But the way that Cole and Kai practically clung to him was a little confusing, and a little concerning. He didn't push them off, but he did gently nudge them.

Cole and Kai both pulled away, their faces contorted into something worth worrying about.

"Are you guys ok?" Lloyd asked. "Did something happen that we should be aware of?"

"Yes…well it sounds stupid thinking about it now," the red ninja muttered. "But we met someone who seemed way too interested in the green ninja, and knowing Lloyd's track record with villains…well…we assumed the worst." He awkwardly rubbed the side of his head.

The green ninja couldn't blame them, as the truth was that villains did tend to capture him way too often. It was sadly becoming a reality that no one wanted to partake in. Especially Lloyd.

"I understand your concern. Thank you for caring about me,' Lloyd smiled. "I'm lucky to have you guys."

Smiling, the rest of the ninja gave into a large group hug. Surrounding each other with nothing but love, determination, and hopefully, a better aura for the year to come.

That was until there was a knock on the monastery doors

"It's probably the mailman," Jay grinned. "I wonder what he brought us this time."

It was a well-known fact that their mailman had been through heck and back, he deserved a raise more than anybody. But it was always a surprise on what they would receive.

But it was unexpected what they received

The mailman gave them a letter, of which was addressed to Lloyd. Kai, being the protective ninja he was, grabbed it and opened it before handing it to the latter.

Lloyd read it with eager eyes, but was disappointed to find out that it was only a fan saying how much she appreciated him. Don't get him wrong, he loved getting letters from grateful citizens, though he was hoping for a better change. An invitation of sorts to go somewhere new. It was known that the ninja needed a new scenery.

But as he went to put the letter down, something fell out of the envelope.

"What?" The green ninja picked up six airplane tickets. "Why would someone send me tickets to…"

Zane grabbed them out of his hands before he could read them. "These are tickets to Peru."

"Why would someone send you tickets to Peru?" Nya asked, clearly as confused as everyone else.

"Who cares? Obviously we are not going. Let's move on, shall we? Now…Cole, Kai, where are the supplies?" Jay brought on when he saw that there were in fact no bags in either of their hands.

The red and black ninja gave a sheepish smile before backing up into the monastery, with a plan in play. Turning around, they took off before anyone could further argue, as they had no reason to worry anyone with the weird superfan.

"COLE! KAI!"

Jay took off after them, though he would also have some explaining to do when Cole and Kai found out about Lloyd's phone incident. But at the given moment, it was nothing but fair play for everyone.

And Lloyd would make sure that he got his revenge on a certain electrifying blue ninja

NINJAGO

"Sir, we have some complications."

"What complications?"

"It seems that someone sent our target tickets to Peru. If they happen to go, our plans will be in vain."

"Oh trust me, the ninja are too smart to fall for that." She smiled. "Don't worry, everything's going according to plan." Twisting an item in her hands, she laughed.

In the end it was determined, the war would end in her favor

This time

Chapter Text

*flashback…yes we are starting with this :)*

Evolet was a girl of many words as many would say. Always the one to voice her opinion, there was clearly no other way to do such. Her parents often tried to stifle her proclaiming voice, though it was all in vain. Evolet already knew what she wanted, and what she needed.

Nobody would be able to stomp out the underlying determination. Already hidden within the depths of her subconscious, it was clear in the end. The girl with many words was the girl with many plans. Though she was careful to conceal her thoughts, as her parents were smart in teaching her the ways of secrecy.

She was the first one to discover the true green ninja's potential. At the young age of sixteen years old, Evolet had a devastating dream.

To gain eternal life

Getting to the green ninja was going to be considerably hard, as it wasn't going to be the first time that Lloyd's power had been drained. Though she wouldn't make the same mistake as the Overlord.

She would not fail

Flashback ends*

NINJAGO

Building gingerbread houses without the gingerbread and frosting had been harder than assumed. Luckily, Zane had been able to whip up a batch of frosting, but the graham crackers had to be switched to left-over gingerbread from the December previously. Ironically that worked out better.

They had been on teams, Nya and Lloyd's team easily beating the others. Even Zane's, which was quite the unexpected outcome. In the end, his team's ended up being the most delicious. Cole happened to be on his team, it wasn't really a surprise.

It was decided by Jay that they should watch a movie after to calm their raging excitement. Though, it only caused more heightened hormones when they picked a high-chase car movie.

"I'm telling you, I'm going to be Vin Diesel one day," Kai said through a mouthful of popcorn, although Nya told him to not speak with food in his mouth.

Jay laughed. "As if, you need years of training to gain those muscles."

"At least I have more muscle mass than bug zapper here."

"Not true, fireball!" The blue ninja cried out before throwing a handful of popcorn towards the fiery ninja. Of whom ducked, leaving a green ninja splattering from all the butter and projectiles that hit his frontal lobe.

'Sorry, Lloyd." Jay muttered as his cheeks grew red with embarrassment.

The young green ninja smiled and waved him off. These things happened, it was nobody's fault that they were having fun. It was just popcorn after all. Zane unpaused the movie, though it was far from quiet for the remainder of the time. On more than one occasion did someone speak up when a part was deemed unsatisfying for their tastes. Or if someone had a moment of truth.

It was quite entertaining

Almost as entertaining as defeating the overlord, the battle leaving them in tired states. Much like everyone else in the room, tired but yet surviving. Except only this time, everyone was laughing, giggling, and Lloyd was the only one asleep by the end of the film.

It was quite ironic

The strongest member of their team passed out on the couch while the others were wide awake with adrenaline from such high-anticipated scenes from the fast five. Most of the popcorn wasn't in the bowl, instead laying on the floor from failed attempts.

"What a movie," Zane spoke once the end credits rolled. "I've never seen such a movie centered around cars."

"It's called living, Zane." Kai chuckled. "It's something we'll have to do more often."

"Are we not living right now?"

That question struck everyone's hearts, because by some definition, they were living. But in their hearts, they were only trying to survive, which could be considered far different from the original meaning. They didn't get to go on vacations to Paris, or go out to eat without running into a hideous villain. In the future, they would probably have to avoid having kids due to them being targets.

So where did living exactly lie? And what were they doing with their lives?

But nobody had it in their hearts to tell themselves that they would most likely never get to normally live their life in peace. It was something that most of the ninja had accepted a long time ago. It still didn't make it any less hurtful to know.

"He's finally resting," Nay voiced, bringing Kai out of his depressive thoughts. Looking over, the red ninja could see the green ninja in a state of peace, which didn't happen too often. Even at a young age, Lloyd was known to struggle with nightmares.

It was refreshing to know that their little green bean was finally resting

Resting…and so so still

It was close enough to resemble how still Lloyd happened to be after that tornado of creation…when a door fell….and Lloyd was still and not moving…and

Breathe

Don't remember, you're not ready quite yet

Kai took in a deep breath, though it was too late to hide his concern against his ravaging memories. All the ninja were looking at him now, their eyebrows creased to mirror his own concern.

"Are you alright Kai?" Cole asked.

The red ninja knew that he couldn't hide his pain any longer, though he knew that he wasn't the only one struggling. After all, they all had to share the burden of almost losing a loved one. It was part of being a family. Part of being a ninja. And part of who he naturally was.

"I'm just thinking about…well…when we found Lloyd."

Everyone sucked in a harsh breath, it was apparent how everyone felt. It was still a sore subject, but it wasn't fresh enough to send anyone spiraling if it was brought up. And there was no time like the present to bring up such matters.

"I know that it's still a fresh subject, but I can't hide it any longer." Tears sprung up in Kai's eyes. "We almost lost him, almost lost our little brother. There's no way that we are not hurting about that."

Jay sniffled. "You're right Kai, none of us are ok after that. I guess it was just easier to avoid talking about it because…well…because it was a hard subject to bring up."

"We've been close to death, but never that close." Cole brought up, no longer working to conceal his tears.

"And there's nothing we could've done," the fiery ninja's voice rang thin, Nya needing to reach over to hold him in her arms. "We would've lost him and there's nothing we could've done!"

Reaching over, Cole reached for Lloyd's wrist, letting out a large relieved sigh when he felt a strong pulse beat under his fingers. The others followed suit, which by some wonder, the green ninja remained deep in his slumber.

It was evident how worried the ninja had been about losing their beloved green ninja once again, worried about losing anyone

"I guess you never know how much you love something until it's almost lost," Cole was playing with Lloyd's hair. "I've always loved Lloyd, but I guess I never realized how much I needed him until he was almost gone."

"Nobody really knows how much then? How much someone would be willing to do something for something or someone?" Zane looked down towards the floor. "Even as a nindroid, I would do anything to save my family."

Kai looked over sadly. "When my mom and dad died, I thought I would never get to keep living. But then I met all of you and I…I knew everything would be ok. Then…" his voice broke as tears streamed down his pale cheeks. "Then, we almost lost him and I…I felt the same crushing feeling all over again. Felt as if nothing would be normal again, that everyone would break and leave me behind."

Reaching over, the water ninja tightly embraced her brother. She felt the same pain he was describing. In the end, they had all brought hope to each other, but the green ninja brought more hope and love to the table than the lot combined. Without him, there simply were no ninja.

But it was worse, as they were brothers by heart. Losing one might as well be losing all of them.

"We came too close to death didn't we?" Jay chuckled sadly. "First Cole…then Lloyd." He curled up in himself, his breathing starting to become uneven. Zane reached over to the blue ninja, pulling him into his side.

"What do we do now?"

Nobody answered for a short period of time, as there was no clear answer. What did they do? What should they be doing to get past the near-loss of two brothers? How did one get past that?

Nya finally spoke up after a few lingering minutes. "We heal, day by day. No rushing, just listening to each other. Being there for each other"

"Week by week," Kai grabbed her hand.

Jay uncurled from himself. "Month by month."

"Year by year," Zane added on.

"Century by century," Cole squeezed Lloyd's hand

And although the green ninja was passed out on the couch, it was still spoken.

Minute by minute

NINJAGO

"Target acquired sir, the monastery is in sight."

"Good," she grinned. "Now, let's make an impact so big that everyone will see it. Let's set it ablaze."

"Yes sir, sending it off now."

She chuckled. "Sure hope that someone bought marshmallows. This is going to be the biggest bonfire in history "

Chapter Text

It was rare for Lloyd to get to sleep, or to simply relax. He often tried to put up a tough front, telling everyone that he didn't need a lot of sleep to function, nor anything self-sufficient. But his lies were far from fool-proof.

He had nobody fooled for even a second. So, when the young ninja finally fell asleep on the couch, it was in everyone's best favor to make sure he stayed that way. If only things turned out that easily.

Lloyd had been dreaming when he woke up to a massive amount of pain radiating from his left arm. He assumed that he must've fallen out of bed, but mentally cursed when he opened his tired eyes. The room he was in was currently ravaging with an angry fire, licking all the walls with its horrendous taste. The smoke in the air was teasing his lungs with a horrible cough, one of which the young ninja assumed would always be a part of him.

Though the worst part was that when he looked around, all he saw was the ruined room and his family all lying unconscious in various parts of the room.

"No!" Lloyd cried out. Trying to stand, the green ninja had the goal of making sure that his family members were still alive. But when he went to stand, the pain in his left arm increased far more than he would've liked. Looking over, he saw a medium-sized piece of rubble pinning his left arm to the floor.

Adrenaline was a funny drug; many often didn't understand the massive amount of power and determined it gave an individual. But Lloyd was no stranger to adrenaline, being a ninja would do that to someone.

He decided to kick the piece of rubble pinning his arm down, as it seemed smart at the time. To be frank, he should've thought about it more before kicking it. The moment that the rubble was off his arm did blood start to seep from the angry wound.

But that wasn't important

Looking around for an escape had become fruitless, moving became hurtful, and thinking was only making his head pound even more. Only a few times in the green ninja's life did Lloyd not know what to do.

That was actually a lie

Lloyd didn't know what to do most times, but at least he had the support of others. This time everyone was left on the floor unconscious while the fire ravaged their precious monastery.

To be honest, Lloyd didn't have it in him to scream, even considering the predicament and state of his current family. For one, his voice box was drier than the Sahara desert, and the other was to be determined.

A piece of wood landed in front of him, almost taking off his head. Luckily, the young ninja had above-average reflex speeds, but he couldn't say much for the floor. Pixel would not have fun fixing the hole in the floor. But it was also a good thing, as the noise had woken up the rest of the ninja, with the exception of Jay.

"Wha..." Kai's eyes widened as he lifted himself off the floor. "What happened?"

"It doesn't matter, all that matters is getting ourselves out of this building before it collapses." Lloyd looked around before his vision landed on Jay. "Jay's injured, we need someone to carry him."

Cole volunteered himself, then the time continued. The green ninja instructed everyone to get out, himself leading the rear of the pack. Wood continued to fall, splattering into pieces when it hit the equally destroyed floorboards. Fire licked the walls, creating a dangerous environment filled with smoke. Everyone held their gi's up past their noses. For smoke inhalation was a dangerous thing.

The door of the monastery was kicked down, the rest of the ninja filtering out. Casting their eyes on the ravaging fire, it broke every heart in that space.

"Our home," Nya whispered, tears falling down her cheeks. "We've lost yet another place to come home." She looked over at Jay's unconscious body.

It was all too much for Lloyd to process, between his family's cries and their defeated faces. He didn't know what to do or say to fix a mess as big as it was. Holding himself together only seemed like a valid option. But Lloyd only wanted to collapse on the floor.

"Jay's vitals' are quite weak," Zane's voice brought the shaking green ninja back to the present. "His pulse is concerning, but hopefully with rest, he'll be able to wake up."

"Does he need a hospital?" Kai asked, clearly worried above all else.

"He shouldn't need one. All he needs is rest and fluids."

Cole looked on with sad eyes. "But all our food is probably destroyed due to the fire."

"I have money, I can go get some groceries." Lloyd volunteered, but everyone only spared him a concerned glance. He only guessed it was how he was holding himself, which was worse compared to the others.

Nya took in a harsh breath. "Lloyd, you should probably sit down. You don't look very good."

Cole and Kai came over by his sides, which he could only confidently say was in case he decided to go down. They weren't fools, he was going to go down one way or another.

Nobody spoke for what seemed forever, their minds being on either tending to the injured Jay or trying to figure out what happened next. Where would they go now? Where should they start?

The fiery ninja had taken to trying to coax a former green ninja to take a seat. But Lloyd was far too preoccupied running from group to group trying to assist. At one point, Zane had to ban him from helping Jay. In his words, Lloyd was 'by some miracle still standing '.

Firefighters did show up at some point, the stairs leading up the monastery proving to be a hard obstacle. And though the flames were extinguished, the fire still ravaged the ninja's hearts. They didn't know what they would say to Wu when he came back from his mission. Or Pixal for that matter.

"What do we do now?" Cole asked once the chaos had been brought down.

"Peru?"

Everyone looked to Kai, who simply sighed.

"Listen, we have nowhere else to go and honestly, we are all due a vacation. The tickets say that the plane will take off in three days and we have time to get supplies. How much money do you have Lloyd?"

Lloyd shrugged. "Enough to get food and buy stuff in Peru."

"And I have new gi's, there are in the bounty. We can stay in the bounty until we leave," Nya perked up.

It seemed that everything was in order, Jay was even starting to stir, everyone going to crowd him. But now Lloyd, no, he was too busy fighting an awful episode of vertigo. There was bile edging up his throat, his legs trembled.

The world tilted, or maybe it was his own body fighting against his better judgement. But he wanted to so desperately lie on the ground. Jay was up, that was the good part. But now Lloyd knew he going to go down.

He only was able to glance at Kai before meeting the ground once more.

Chapter Text

Being a ninja came with injuries, that was common knowledge. Most assumed that these injuries would start to become less painless over time with tolerance. That was sadly not the case.

Surprisingly a ravaging pain was not the first thing Lloyd felt when he woke up. Instead, it was a dull pain, which could've been considered to feel worse. At least extreme pain disappeared after a certain amount of time, dull pain most likely did not.

Opening his eyes, Lloyd winched as light hit his eyes with a full stream. The headache was now a migraine. His left arm was bandaged, while his head was as well. All he remembered last was relief flooding his veins before letting himself fall to the floor. It wasn't the most grace-like way to go down. If he could have it his way, Lloyd would've waited to pass out when he was alone.

At least he could've gone down like a baby in private.

Other than that, there wasn't much. It was clear that he was still on the bounty, though he wondered for how long. It was a secret hope that the others hadn't missed out on going to Peru just because his body decided to shut down.

Just in that moment Kai opened the door, his face brightening up when he saw Lloyd awake.

"You're awake!" He took off running and carefully embraced his younger brother.

Once released, Lloyd sighed. "Ok, tell me, how long was I out?"

Kai sighed. "Two days, but that didn't mean you didn't give us all a mighty good scare."

"What happened?"

"Don't you remember?" Kai's eyebrows creased, worrying quickly taking over his newly pronounced optimism.

"Don't do that, I hate when you do that. I'm fine," Lloyd sighed. "I don't remember much, its all really fuzzy. The last thing being that Jay was awake."

"That's about where you collapsed, of course we didn't know what your injuries were. Zane said that you had a severely sprained wrist, and severe fatigue along with dehydration. Honestly kid, it's a wonder that you didn't get a concussion with how hard you hit your head on the cement. Scared the noodles out of us."

Lloyd once again sighed.

"You're sighing a lot," the red ninja stated. "What's wrong?"

Oh boy, where would Lloyd start. He wanted to say that he had felt inferior to the fire when his family laid unconscious on the floor. Or that he should've been more alert and not sleeping. But none of those questions brought any good, so he simply started small.

Lloyd hesitated before speaking. "I…I just want to know that I'll be able to protect you and everyone else."

It was a broader subject than intended. Many sub-categories dictating where this conversation could lead. Instead, the red ninja stood up and walked over to the small nightstand.

"Oh Lloyd, don't you know that you protect us enough?" Kai handed over a small bottle of water. "In fact, we should've protected you more, if we did, you wouldn't be so hurt."

"But I let Jay get hurt! And I couldn't even protect the monastery."

"First of all, it wasn't your fault that Jay got hurt, but even then, he's up and walking around just fine. And the monastery…nothing could save that place. It was coming down one way or another."

"I should've…"

"Lloyd, can I ask you a question? And I want an honest answer." Kai asked, then continued once Lloyd let up. "Do you like living with this pain? Is this how you cope?"

Lloyd didn't know how to respond, for he's never been asked such a question. It was funny because he should've known himself well enough to form a coherent and honest answer. But instead, he was grasping at straws to know where to even begin.

What was his pain?

And was it really pain?

Or was he trying to fix a reality that seemed perfectly fine on its own?

It seemed that he had been doing that a lot lately, hopefully not rubbing off on his family. Habits came with the territory, some better than others. This habit was sadly not the better one.

Then he knew it, the only stable thing in his life that brought him back to the ground when he was too high up in the sky.

"I'm always in pain Kai, but this isn't how I cope," Lloyd finally answered. "To answer your question, the way that I cope with everything, and I mean everything is by going to your guys. My family, my brothers and sister in arms. I couldn't do this without you guys, and I still can't. Maybe that's why I wanted to protect you so badly; I just can't explain it."

Tears sprung to his sunken eyes, sobs coming up his throat. Kai came over almost immediately to wrap his brother in a tender embrace, all to which Lloyd reciprocated. No words were spoken, and there wasn't any need.

The rest of the ninja eventually were alerted of Lloyd's awakening and came running to the green ninja's bedroom. Tears were shed that night, words were exchanged, and everyone woke up with a sore back in the morning due to all trying to sleep on one small bed. But in the end, it was all worth it.

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Nya had woken up before everyone else, which was no surprise. She often enjoyed early mornings, knowing that the simplest pleasures, like the wind, sun, and everything else would remain constant. It was the diamond in the rough, the solution to her hectic life.

She looked over at her family, and mentally happily sighed. Kai was curled up next to Lloyd on his left side, Zane on Lloyd's right. Jay was near the end of the bed, his arm dangling over the edge. Cole was asleep on Kai's leg in the middle, Lloyd's legs laying on his chest.

To put it simply, it was a cute sight. One that didn't happen too often. There was always times to implant more family traditions.

Her phone rang

Nya grabbed her phone to see an unknown number.

Nya, listen this is going to sound weird. But please get your team to Peru - ?

The water ninja was hesitant to respond, but something about the text seemed far more important. Maybe she could learn from it as well. Hit two birds with one stone.

Who are you, and why are you texting me? – Nya

Someone really important. I want to help you, but I can only do that if you come to Peru - ?

Why should I believe you? – Nya

You're just going to have to trust me, Lloyd's life's is at stake. - ?

The mention of her little brother was the first indication that something wasn't right, or that the unknown number was really working in their favor. She had to trust it, for there was no other way. But…a few more questions wouldn't hurt.

What do you mean that Lloyd's life is 'at stake'? – Nya

There's bad people after him, they want his power. It's foretold that if someone takes the green ninja's power, they will gain eternal life. A certain someone is after Lloyd, hence why your monastery went up in flames. - ?

Where would we even go when we get to Peru? – Nya

I'll send coordinates when you land. Signing off - ?

And just like that, the unknown number went silent. Nya sighed as she set her phone down, not knowing what to believe. The plane was supposed to take off later that night, everything was already prepared.

With all the money that Lloyd had saved up, it earned them new food, some clothes, and a good mighty chunk of money for purchases made in Peru. It was a miracle that the green ninja was able to make the trip, surprising them all.

Though that didn't mean that they wouldn't watch him, especially considering the unknown numbers information.

Who could she trust?

Nya didn't know, but all she knew was that she was going to need a long chat with the team.

Preferably before they left

NINJAGO

"Miss?"

She threw a vase at the wall, clearly enraged.

"It was supposed to work! Why would they still be going to Peru?! I need him here!" She yelled to the servant in her room.

The servant – who was named Cleary – frowned. "I'm sorry ma'am, I didn't except them to take the tickets. Maybe we can stop them another way? Maybe take down their plane?"

"No, I don't need any more blood on my hands," she sighed. "We'll find another way. Leave me."

Cleary gave another sigh but left the room regardless.

"You nasty little ninja, so clever you may think you are," she snarled. "Well two can play at that game."

Chapter Text

"So, this random number just told you to follow it?"

Nya had waited until they were on the plane before telling them about the unknown number. She knew that she should've told them sooner, but it had been pretty chaotic getting to this point. The ninja had woken up late, they had to find a place to land the monastery, and when they got to the airport, everyone swarmed them for things that only celebrities could give out.

It took them far too long to get through TSA, they even had to convince the security that they had to bring weapons for their mission. Then…then they had to actually find the gate. By some miracle, the ninja were buckled in their seats when the plane took off.

Cole, Jay and Zane were in the front row while Nya, Kai and Lloyd sat a row behind them. It was only then that Nya brought up the issue at hand.

It was quite clear that the moments she started to speak out about it, the ninja questioned the number's credibility. Even though they had nothing to go by.

"Whoever sent me those texts seemed to be on our side. I just can't explain how." Nya spoke, learning against her fiery brother.

"Maybe we should investigate more before we walk into their trap," Cole brought up, but was quickly cut off by Jay.

"What's if there's not a trap? You saw what they had to say about Lloyd."

Lloyd, who was in thought, turned his mind to the conversation.

"Whatever they said about me is probably nonsense. But it doesn't hurt to check it out, what if we miss an opportunity?" He spoke out.

"You mean the opportunity for possible death?" the ice ninja asked, clearly torn between the two sides given.

"Listen, anything we do has an outcome for possible death," Lloyd sighed. "We are ninja, it comes with the territory. I say that we give them a chance."

The others agreed and move on from the topic. If the time came, and it was indeed a trap, well…it wouldn't be the first time that they've dealt with those. But it was all true, then it would save the time needed to explore more to what they were saying.

Within the next few hours, the ninja chatted away about nonsense. If it was to get their minds off the troublesome trouble they might be encountering, it worked greatly. The mission almost being forgotten until they landed and got off the plane.

But far too quickly, did the manner of that discussion come up once again, this time though, it felt so much more real that they would've liked.

Though they decided to find a hotel and eat before entering into the realm of that problem.

"Taxi!" Jay waved his hand towards incoming cars. Although most looked far different than what he was used to seeing. Almost a smushed version of U.S cars.

Eventually a large taxi came to pick them up, though the driver clearly did not speak English. Any other group of tourist would've had a huge problem there and then, but with a nindrioid, well…it was their secret weapon.

"¿A dónde señor?" The driver asked, looking back to the rugged group of ninja. He raised an eyebrow at their gi's but said nothing more. They all got in, the ice ninja moving up to the front seat while the others smushed themselves in the back.

Zane spoke up before the rest could answer. "Un señor de hotel, por favor."

"Ok, serán 55,60 soles."

"Sí." The nindrioid reached into his pocket, pulling out a large stack of Sol's.

"Where did you get that?" Jay asked, flabbergasted on how his friend had been able to acquire such a great amount of cash. If he could even call it that.

"I was able to convert our US dollars into Sol's at the ATM in the airport. It was very useful."

"What is he asking for?"

"I asked him to get us to a hotel, he needs 55,60 soles. Which in equivalent to our money, is 15 dollars."

"Shesh, forget I asked." The blue ninja dramatically fell back up against the seat, leaving the others to cackle at the expense of his pride.

With the money in hand, the driver drove off towards their requested destination. Preferably a good one, though no one knew what to expect from hotels in Peru. The town area looked quite decent, the houses being on the smaller side. Although there were quite a number of these houses, they all being squished together in a one large, cute town.

"Ask him where we are," the earth ninja urged the former ice ninja. "And ask him what airport we landed in."

Zane nodded. "Señor, ¿qué pueblo es este?"

"Tingo María"

"Oh"

"Where is that? On the map I mean." Nya asked, the others following closely behind.

"Tingo María is in the central most part of Peru, being the capital of Leoncio Prado Province in the Huánuco Region. There is roughly around 46,191 people currently living here. For a while, it was also considered unreachable until 1936. As people call it-"

"Thanks Zane," Nya smiled. "I can visualize it."

But the electric ninja only looked slightly more fatigued. "That's….a mouthful. But is there a rainforest nearby, or did we come here for nothing."

"You're in luck Jay," Lloyd chuckled, pointing to a large gush of trees. "There's definitely a rainforest here, we came to the right place."

"Great."

The rest of the car ride was quiet for the most part, as jetlag was starting to slowly take over the teen's awareness. All too soon the taxi driver dropped them off at a really small hotel, if it was even that considered by some means.

The hotel looked as if a bunch of sardine cans had been stacked on top of each other, the outside being a stark white. There were small cut-out windows with a medium-sized hut right next to the tin-can structure.

"That is…a place all right," Kai laughed nervously, struggling to hold his luggage. He was sure that he had brought enough, but maybe he had brought too much.

"This is Hospedaje El Cantaro. It has good ratings," Zane told the others as they walked inside.

"I sure hope that they can speak English," Kai muttered. "I'm tried of trying to understand Spanish."

Jay chuckled. "Well, maybe you should've taken the time to get to know it."

"I have other things to do."

"Like what? Style your hair everyday even though nobody will ever fall for you?"

"Skylor did."

"Pity points."

'Why, you!"

Lloyd laughed at their antic's. Sometimes it was easy to forget that they were only kids fighting a battle that sometimes could never be won. There were times where they needed to remind themselves that laughing was needed, being teenagers was normal, and being a ninja was both a blessing and a curse.

It was simply easy to forget in general

When they reached the front desk, there was a young women with brown wavy hair, and a very inviting smile.

"Hello, and welcome!" Her voice was crisp, clearly indicating that she had a Spanish accent, but by some miracle, also spoke English. "What could I do for you?"

"How big are your rooms?" Lloyd asked.

"Two beds to one room, we currently have all rooms available."

"We would like 3 rooms then."

She smiled. "Of course. How long do you plan to stay?"

The green ninja looked back at the others, giving a questioning eyebrow. They hadn't really talked about how long they were going to stay in Peru, nor if they were even going to stay in the hotel for half that me.

But two nights seemed like a safe number

"Two nights," the green ninja responded. Clearly ignoring the background chatter of both the famous blue and red ninja. Two children in a teenager's body, that's what he always said. Even though he was probably a bigger child inside than the two of them combined.

"That sounds wonderful, let me ring that up for you." She reached back to grab three key's hanging up against the wall. "That'll be 222.41 soles."

Zane walked up, handing the requested amount of money, and the keys were given. There was also free Wi-Fi and a city view. Which was really just the jungle and the sight of the houses. But it was better than most, Lloyd assumed.

He happened to be sharing a room with Kai, which was really no surprise. Out of everyone, Kai tended to gravitate towards Lloyd, and the green ninja did the same thing. It was a special bond that – although the others were family – was not quite the same when it came to the others. Cole and Zane shared a room, while Jay and Nya shared another.

Kai was a little hesitant to let his sister share a room with her boyfriend, but there was really no other option. Plus, they were all too tired from the day's adventures to attempt anything. Jay and Nya didn't even kiss goodnight, which they do every night without error.

He didn't even stop to think about that before his own head hit the pillow, passing out almost he moment he got comfortable.

In just the span of one minute, Kai, and everyone else was dead to the world.

-0-

Morning came faster than intended, and by the time that everyone got up, Zane had already gone down to the market and purchased enough food to last them weeks. He told the others that since he was a nindrioid, jetlag didn't affect him as much.

But even then, Lloyd could've sworn the ice ninja was swaying ever so slightly

He didn't stay on the subject very long

As Zane packed up the rest of the food, it only made everyone else hungry for breakfast. Cole naturally being the first to say something.

"I want food, can't we just run down to the market and get something really fast? Or even possibly find a restaurant?" The earth ninja practically begged, earning everyone's favor in hopes of filling their empty stomachs.

"How much do we have left Zane?" Lloyd asked the busy white ninja.

Temporarily pausing, Zane pulled out the remaining money. "We should have enough, just nothing too huge."

"Anything at this point man, anything." Cole added on. "I'll find us an amazing place to eat!

-0-

Cole had in fact found the best place to eat. It had been only ten minutes of being in the market when he spotted it. The perfect place to dine with affordable prices.

The restaurant was called, 'Pipples,' a restaurant known for their lunch items. When the ninja had sat down, all the food items looked foreign. But eventually everyone set on something that was worth trying.

Jay and Kai both got Pollo a la Brasa, a dish that seemed the most normal out of everything. It was a roasted chicken with a combination of herbs, spices and garlic.

Zane got Papas a la Hauncanica, which was potatoes in spicy cheese sauce. It was practically yellow potatoes drenched in a puree of queso fresco, aji Amarillo, garlic, evaporated milk and lime juice. The sauce becoming more a slow-burn than immediately packing a punch.

Nya and Cole got Aji de Gallina, creamy chicken. Shredded chicken covered in creamy, yet thick sauce. It was served with meat on top, as well as rice and different vegetables on the side.

Lastly, Lloyd got Cuy, which had hadn't know at the time…was guinea pig. At first, he had been mortified to say the least, but once he got himself to try it, it was really good. The other ninja even tried it, all saying that it was better than it sounded.

After eating, the ninja paid and set off to the day's activities. Lloyd said that they should plan and prepare, but since Zane had already done most of the preparation, the rest said that they should just enjoy the day in Tingo María.

As much as the green ninja felt about the mission, he knew that he couldn't deny them this amazing opportunity. Because as many say….

It's not everyday that you get to go to Peru

Chapter Text

"We are here ma'am," a voice rang out through the airplanes speakers. But unlike most, there was only one voice that heard it.

She smiled as she stood up eagerly. Truth be told, she had never been to Peru before. It was a rather new experience, one that she hadn't planned on making. The ninja unintentionally screwing up her plans on that one. But there was always room for improvement, even if it meant exploring a new land.

The doors opened with a satisfying swish, revealing the true wonders of the forest beyond. Tingo Maria being the final destination. Her eyes grazed upon the large, yet efficient town. It was honestly not what she was expecting, but then again, she wasn't really expecting much.

Her visit wouldn't be long

In then out, grab the green ninja and she would have all she's ever wanted

"Ma'am?"

Walking down the stairs, she saw a younger man standing a mile away from the runway. His features presenting one of great confidence, something that many boys his age had too much of.

"Ah, AP," she smiled. "What a surprise! I expect that you're here to assist me, yes?"

AP grinned. "Of course, I've been in need of great excitement lately."

"Many boys you're age are. Now, let's talk while we walk. I've been exceptionably parched lately and could use with a drink."

"Oh course, the car has a mighty fine collection of drinks."

They walked to the car, talking about AP's education. Although the country was far from any very well-known universities, she had been able to fund AP's education for a mighty fine university nearby. It provided amazing rates, giving the aspiring generation of kids a chance for the best education that Peru could offer.

"If you don't ask me asking ma'am, what is the plan?" AP asked once they were seated properly in the car.

She gave a wicked grin. "Well, my wonderful son, we are going to play a game of hide-n-seek."

"Hide-n-seek?"

"Yes. You see, the green ninja is the hider, and whoever finds him wins. Then we celebrate by taking away his energy for ourselves. Do you follow?"

"Oh, how naughty you are mother," AP chuckled. "How wicked a plan you've created."

Reaching over, she grabbed a cold bottle of water, the inside contents soothing her tired throat. Though seeing her son's satisfaction caused her great joy, thirsty for more. She had a plan for him, that he didn't know quite yet.

Like mother, like son

He would be the ultimate seeker

"How will we find him mother? He could be anywhere."

"Yes, that would be a problem. But I've brought a solution." She reached into her purse, pulling out a small circular device, then pulled out two more. "Thanks to our current technology, I've been able to acquire drones from military. Said that there was a threat at large in Peru, by some miracle, they believed me."

AP grabbed the circular drone, his eyes gaping at the sheer device in his hand. It would be hard to see once it was in the air, posing as the perfect way to find their seekers.

"This will solve all our problems?" Her son asked.

She only smiled. "Oh son, this and more."

-0-

The morning came faster than Lloyd's would've liked. It had been a late night, the others wanting to stay up for a festival in town. As much as the green ninja knew that he needed his sleep, this was a golden opportunity for more exposure.

There had been dances, food tasting – which Cole loved the most – and booths. Nobody had come back empty-handed last night, not even Lloyd. Who had the concept of simplicity in his mind often. Then after a long day, everyone retired to bed.

….or tried to

Lloyd hadn't been able to fall asleep that night due to underlaying nightmares. It had been so long since he had one to, it was disheartening to know that there was a chance that his nightmares were coming back for act 2. Still, even under all the terror and fear, he was able to mask his fatigue the next morning quite well.

Everyone else seemed rested enough, even Kai, who must've heard him scream the night previously. Perk's to being a roommate to someone who was constantly the target for enemies. And constantly experiencing things his age that no other teenager should ever see. It was only bound to happen. Nightmares just came with the territory.

"Hey La-Lloyd!"

Lloyd lazily turned his eyes to the left, only to see a way-too energetic Kai bounding towards him.

"What's up? You going to stay here all day?" The red ninja asked, clearly concerned on how Lloyd has retorted to him about the forbidden nickname. He handed the green ninja an apple since it was early morning.

"Oh, thank you," Lloyd eagerly bit into the apple, practically shoving it down his throat.

"Well, we're ready to leave green bean. Are you coming?"

The green ninja nodded as Kai slung an arm over his shoulder, leading him out the door. Everyone else was already gathered outside, talking about bugs, forests, and all the other things they might encounter that day.

"Ugg, bugs," Jay groaned once they started their trek into the forest. The forest was dense, making it hard to see the end, if there was even one. Animals spoke to each other around them, making the population of each species quite diverse.

But in Jay's option, the flying bugs were the worst. He squatted at them, but it was fruitless in the end.

Cole chuckled. "Thought you were a bug-zapper Jay."

"And I thought you were supposed have a down-to-earth diet," the famous blue ninja muttered.

"Oh, come on Jay, I thought you electrified everyone around you. You said it yourself," Kai laughed, throwing a bug of insect spray from his pack on his back.

Jay caught it, eagerly putting it on yourself. In a way, he could be likened unto a desperate animal hutting for a food source. Starving for a solution. The blue ninja was lucky that it was a handful away.

"Why is everyone ganging up on me?! Stop it before I electrify you!"

"You and watt army?" Zane chuckled.

Kai laid a hand on the ice ninja's shoulder, letting out a large laugh. Everyone following suit except for the still grumbling electric ninja.

Meanwhile, Lloyd and Nya were ahead of the group, both quiet by some weird means. Nya was the first to notice Lloyd's eyes, the way that he constantly looked forward with nothing more.

"Hey, what's wrong?" She asked softly, coordinating her steps to match his.

Lloyd was hesitant to say anything to her, but she was Nya, and nobody hid anything from her. A wise man had told him once that letting people in was the best way to solve the problem. This was certainly not something he could face alone.

But…he just couldn't get himself to say anything

"I'm fine," he smiled. "Just a little tired."

Nya scoffed lightly. "Liar, I can sense your lie through your words. Don't lie to me Lloyd, I've known you almost my entire life."

That was a half-truth and they both knew it. But in a sense, she was saying that she was his family, and he was hers. That maybe their lives had truly started until they all met each other.

Lloyd had no life worth considering before the ninja took him in

"I just…" he sighed. "I'm scared Nya, and I don't say that often. If they get hurt, it'll all because of me. All because some stupid villain wants my power."

"Does it feel like a curse sometimes? Your power I mean."

Her voice reached his ears, leaving a sour taste. She meant well, but it had almost been dead on. As another wise man, not related to the first one in any way, said that great power comes with responsibility. Well…they were not kidding….

"Oh look, a monkey!"

Lloyd snapped his head up to see a large monkey staring them down, its paws holding the tree branch. The way it moved, it was startling, its eyes connected on Lloyd. The green ninja felt connected to it, which was weird considering how it was just a monkey.

Then…climbed down

"How cute!" Nya went towards it, forgetting their conversation previously. It made Lloyd give a relieved exhale.

But the monkey didn't stop to see her, in fact, it walked just straight by. Standing right in front of the green ninja, Lloyd felt everyone's grazes on him, including the monkey itself.

"Uh…why is that monkey looking at you Lloyd?" Kai asked cautiously.

"Maybe it likes green," Jay shrugged.

Lloyd looked around nervously, and bent down, about to pet it….it grabbed his arm

…a monkey just grabbed his arm

Now, it would be easy to just shake its hand off, but the monkey was either really strong or had a hard grip, because not matter what the green ninja did….well the monkey's hand would still not get off his gosh darn arm.

"Uh guys, I can't get him to let go," Lloyd spoke up, bringing the ninja closer.

Kai and Cole both tried to pry it off, but no matter what they did, the monkey would still refuse to let go.

"Ok, this is not funny. Let go of him you stupid monkey!" The fire ninja's hand lit up into flames, though not startling the wildlife member at all.

Nya stood up quickly, she ran to her brother. "Put that out! You could cause a forest fire!"

"Then tell the monkey to let go!"

"I don't speak monkey Kai."

"Well then, do you have any other ideas?"

She looked over, but no ideas came to mind. Then it happened, a split moment Lloyd was kneeling, the next being dragged away. Trying to get the monkey's grip off him.

"Lloyd!"

"Greenie!"

"Lloydddd!"

The other ninja came bounding after him, all breathless after each attempt to stop the wildlife member from dragging away their younger brother.

Everyone but Kai – for obvious reasons – used their powers.

"WHERE'S HE TAKING LLOYD?!" Jay yelled out as he skipped across the treetops.

Nobody knew the answer

Chapter Text

If someone would've told Lloyd that he would be dragged by a monkey through the woods, helpless as his limbs connected with every single rock in their path. He would've told them that they were delusional.

In reality, he should've known better

Everything in the universe always seemed to be against not just him, but the Ninja especially. He honestly wondered if he did sometime in his past to deserve such a devastating fate.

Dragged by a monkey, hit to death by flying rocks

It wasn't the best appeal for someone as famous as him. Nor was the sad fact that something as universal as a monkey could take him down with its little, small fingers.

At some point, a rock hit him in the head. Causing a rough shake to knock him into the world of blissful sleep. It was peaceful for the most part, nothing bad to arouse his inner demon. But the waking up part was less blissful.

Lloyd gingerly sat up, rubbing his head lightly. Glancing up, the young man found himself looking at a large, spacious cave in front of him.

"Lloyd!"

The green ninja turned around to see his fellow brothers and sisters lagging behind, breath high and all. Looks of concern were passed between them, but Lloyd didn't know if they were for him at all. He was a little too focused on the cave in front of him. Injury forgotten, he stood up.

"Lloyd, are you ok?!" Kai called out, wringing an arm around him once they found each other. "Did the monkey hurt you?"

"I don't think so, just roughed me up around the edges."

Each of the ninja took a turn to hug their former brother, before moving to the cave themselves.

"Where's the monkey?" Nya asked, looking around.

"We must've scared him off," Cole chuckled.

"Maybe he's inside the cave," the ice ninja suggested. "We could go look around to see."

The sound of exploring a new landmark sounded far better than what happened previously. And there was really no other choice. It was this or the monkey. Lloyd had enough monkey business for that day.

He led the way, grabbing a flashlight from his backpack. At first, there was nothing by darkness, of which Jay mentioned his fear of the absence of light . Nya was there to calm him down, holding his hand almost the entire time. But even through all of the darkness littering the stoned walls, there came a point where rocks could be seen. Big, large, and unescapable.

It was vastly intimidating

"Wow…those are some," Jay gulped. "Really big rocks."

Kai chuckled. "Do you realize that we are in one giant rock, right? Kinda weird to be scared of some tiny ones."

"They are not tiny!"

"And you forget that we are with an earth ninja. Honestly Jay, use that noggin of yours." He reached over and rubbed the electric ninja's hair vigorously. After some squirming, the fire ninja eventually stopped the action.

"Guys, lets pay attention, ok? I have a weird feeling about this place." Lloyd muttered the last part quietly.

It was a distant feeling he would say, to believe that everything wasn't as it seemed. Sure, there were rocks, sand, and….and more rocks. But something about this cave was not feeling right. It should've been louder, and at some point, the ninja should've been able to see any sign of wildlife. But there was no wildlife, no sounds of rushing water. Only the deafening sound of silence.

It was eerie

"Hello?" Kai called out but received nothing in response. "Anyone there?"

A few rocks shifted

The ninja continued to walk, tired, bruised, and ultimately wanting to go back towards the hotel. But they were far too in to return. If they wanted to rest, it would be in the cave.

"I wonder if there is a secret passage, and we're just not seeing it," Jay pointed out, though nobody paid him half a mind. "What if there's a secret button somewhere."

"If there was, wouldn't Zane have been able to see it a while ago?" Cole's fuse was starting to run short. He hadn't meant it to sound so rude, but he needed food...and sleep…and more food.

Zane's pack had been left in front of the cave due to the huge monkey fiasco. Which sadly, also had all their food in it as well.

Foodless or not, nothing was stopping the ninja from exploring further

At some point, everyone dropped. Leaning against the hardened cave walls, almost everyone looked ready to set camp where they stood.

"This is useless," Lloyd sighed. "We've been exploring all day and have found absolutely nothing. Maybe we should start to head back."

He leaned against the walls a little harder

Thump!

A camouflaged door opened nearby, revealing another unexplored portion of the cave.

"Color my stars, Jay was right!" Cole spoke out, astonished at what the door was presenting.

For inside was the most beautiful view, small and large green pieces of gems sticking out from the grey stone. There were gems on both the ground and ceiling, presenting the idea of a limitless supply.

"Are those…emeralds?" The water ninja walked towards one, gently stroking the smooth gem. "it's breathtaking."

The other ninja filled in, their eyes going everywhere to make out their surroundings. Meanwhile, the door shut behind them, concealing any thought of such a place.

Such a place this was

Lloyd's hand glided over the crystals, falling into a rhyme. The feeling was back, tugging at his heartstrings. Something about these emeralds, so to speak, were calling out to him, enticing him to look more into the past given.

He just couldn't explain it

Yet he so dearly wanted to

The ninja didn't understand, or at least he knew they wouldn't. Their eyes showed pleasure, but not familiarity. Not what his eyes were currently showcasing.

He felt connected to these crystals, the others most likely didn't

"I wondered when you would be arriving, you must love to keep me waiting." A voice rang out a few feet from where the green ninja was standing. "What an odd bunch."

Lloyd turned, his eyes landing on a beautiful figure. But before he could ask anything, only one question came to his mind.

"Who are you?"

Chapter Text

"Who are you?"

It was a curious question from his mouth, true intent and all. For in front of him was a gorgeous girl around his age, smiling brightly from where she stood. Wavy green hair flowed down to her shoulders, while a seemly similar tone took over her flowing dress. A chocolate skin tone was presented as well.

Her smile was enough to melt down a thousand worlds. Or Lloyd's heart, though he would've told no one if he knew about it all.

"I see you're straight to the point, that's fine." She leaped from her spot, landing square center in front of everyone else astonished eyes.

She waved. "Hi! I'm Aisha, the watcher over this humble cave."

The rest of the ninja were silent for a moment, not really knowing what to say next. Aisha seemed friendly enough. But the life of a ninja taught them to always be cautious.

"Are these….emeralds?" Cole asked, lightly guiding his hand over the smooth crystals. A small tint of light caught on the glimmer of the crystal itself, presenting a fabulous design of green reflecting off the walls.

Aisha giggled lightly. "That's a loaded question; these are emeralds but are not as well."

"Oh…"

"I'll explain it later. But for now, please do follow me."

She turned around and started to walk towards a small pathway in the left corner of the cave. The rest followed to some degree, but it was hard to keep all their attention directed on a single point where there were so many sparking crystals nearby. A poor choice for an even poorer lack of mind. But it worked, that's all they really needed to be thankful for.

The young girl continued to walk towards a destination that felt endless. How long had they been walking around anyway? It felt eons ago. Or maybe it was only three minutes…two minutes? Everyone started to lose count.

Finally, after a good chunk of time, a beautiful landmark was revealed. There were still green crystals littering the hardened walls, but there was also something else magnificent clouding their view.

A waterfall

A waterfall so beautiful that the water flying off the edge was as clear as a lens on a camara. So, striking, that the liquid felt likened unto the liquid of life, pursuit, and happiness. And with all the humidity attacking their systems, it only looked more notable to jump in.

Aisha must've noticed it all. She gestured towards the ravaging waterfall.

"Oh yes, you must all be so hot. Please, go have fun."

The rest of the ninja applauded to her wish, quickly taking off towards the liquid of refreshment. All except one that is.

Lloyd might've been sweating from the humidity presented, but he wasn't one to dose himself. He would rather cool himself off on the inside, drinking water instead.

"Are you not going to get yourself wet?"

He turned to see Aisha looking at with him with a peculiar look. Her long green hair swayed off to the side, creating a view of pleasant beauty. It almost made him blush.

But he quickly stopped himself from allowing such feelings any further. The last few relationships were….they didn't end well, nor bond with him at all. Akita wasn't so bad, in fact, she was probably the best dating relationship that he ever had. But Harumiwas enough to make him shiver down to the bone, she ruined dating for him for years to come.

In a few years, he told himself, that's when he would allow such feelings to come back once again

He sighed. "Don't know, just don't feel up to it I guess."

"I see," Aisha smiled softly. "Well, could I offer anything else for your entertainment? I'd hate to bore you."

"Maybe a story?"

The young girl's smile grew. "Of yes, I have a lot you see. But have you ever heard about the gem in the stone? It's a fascinating story, one that I think you might like."

Lloyd nodded, allowing the excited girl to continue. And he did love to hear new stories, it was one thing that would never change.

"There lived two gems, one as beautiful as the sun, the other as dark as the moon. The first gem, the most beautiful of the two, lived in a rock that was kept tidy, never had any harm to it. But the second one lived in a rock that was thrown around. Well one day, a young girl found these two rocks near each other."

Aisha continued on. "And decided to throw them, don't ask me why she wanted to. But in the end, the first rock broke to pieces, along with the gem. Shattered to pieces, it was unfixable. The second rock didn't break, no, because its entire life it had been thrown around and adapted to such changes. It was stronger and couldn't be broken by anything. The gem inside was protected, and honestly, more beautiful than the first gem."

Lloyd's eyes found her's, a peaceful solace in both of them. "I'm guessing you were that little girl."

"I was, very young though." The young girl laughed lightly, lighting up the green ninja's heart. "But I learned an important lesson that day. The most broken people are the strongest, sometimes the most hardened as well. And yet, their soul is just as beautiful as everyone else's."

"That was an inspiring story, thank you for sharing it with me." He placed his hand on top of her's, warmness spreading between the both of them.

She looked up at his eyes, her's sparking with a new-found prettiness. There was no doubt in the world that Lloyd felt something new, felt so connected to someone – of whom – he had just met. He wanted to reach out further, but something inside prohibited him from doing so.

Though he didn't remove his hand from hers

"You have a special soul, Lloyd. Don't let it crumble, don't be like the first gem." Her voice was light, carrying a sense of worry with it. It almost made him wonder if she's seen people go down that horrible path.

He didn't know anything about her

It only made him more hungry to know

"If you don't mind me asking, why are you here? Have you always been stuck in this cave?" Lloyd asked.

Aisha pulled her hand away, out of instinct….he didn't know. But it was clearly the wrong thing to say.

'I always have to ruin these moments! Why did I say that?!'

"I'll tell you soon enough, it's your business to know. But for now, can we just enjoy the moment?" Her eyes found his again. He relinquished in this moment, scared that she might never share such closeness again.

He didn't want to ruin it again

Lloyd nodded, as her hands found his once again. It was weird, how connected they both felt. Even if they only met each other a few hours ago.

For him, it felt the opposite of weird. It felt more like destiny playing a card in his favor.

None of them spoke, though they didn't need to. Watching the ninja splash each other was far entertaining enough.

-0-

Eventually the duo had to call the ninja back, though Kai and Jay both shot Lloyd a confused glance. It was oddly soothing.

"How come you didn't come down with us?" Kai finally asked Lloyd.

Lloyd shrugged. "Didn't feel like getting myself wet, you know how much I hate wearing wet clothes."

"Oh, trust me, we do." The fiery ninja muttered, earning a laugh from almost everyone. He almost might've gotten a little hair noggin from the famous green ninja. But that was up for debate.

But Aisha wasn't laughing, she was wearing a frown instead.

"Are you ok, Aisha? You seem troubled." Zane brought up.

"I hoped to prolong this longer. But I must tell you, there's a reason I brought you all here. And time is off the essence." She spoke softly. "Everyone sit; there's a lot that I must tell you."

Everyone sat down, all looking up to Aisha. Though they knew partly what she would say, a little information was spread through the text's sent by her already.

Cole came over and wrapped a arm around Lloyd's shoulder, sitting down next to him as well.

They all knew it

Yet, it only made it so much more scarier

-0-

"The drone has located them ma'am. Their in a cave not far from here, they also took a little passage as well."

She smiled. "Why thank you."

"Do you want me to send troops?"

"Oh no," She got up. "I'll go there myself, pay them a small visit. Then, you can send troops, all of them in fact."

"Of ma'am."

"Oh please, I have a name you know."

"And what should I call you ma'am."

She grinned widely, all of her teeth showing with a white glimmer. "You can call me Evolet."

Chapter Text

"We have the poison Mrs. Evolet."

Evolet smiled, letting her teeth shine with pleasure. It had been hard to acquire, as it was such a rare thing. Though it was silly, she always got what she wanted. No matter the costs.

"Is it in full?" She asked, grabbing the vial from the soldier. The smooth glass caught her eyes, only making the pleasure seem better.

"Yes ma'am."

"Great."

AP, of who was nearby, started to walk towards his mother. He grasped the vial. the green liquid inside swishing around.

"What is this exactly?" He frowned. "And who is it for?"

Evolet grinned. "Patience my son, patience. But if you must know, this is a special poison that if used in a spell, can slowly take out its victim."

"So diabolical mother, it makes me smile. But if you don't mind me asking, who is this lucky victim you've chosen?"

"One of the ninja, although I debated." She frowned. "There was nothing special about Jay and Cole. Nya and Kai are too close for one of them to go missing, and Zane is a nindrioid, so this might not work. But Lloyd…Lloyd is who I want. He's the leader, he's stressed, and he can give me power."

Her grin reached up to her ears, leaving many on edge. It was unsettling to see, unsettling to know. But just as important because it meant one thing, they pleased their master.

"Is there another reason mother?"

"Yes AP, although that's a surprise."

-0-

The emeralds were a curious thing

If they were even considered emeralds at that point. The amount of crystals littering the cave left the others curious as to why there were so many. But Aisha had important information to share before she could answer their questions.

"I know that you're all wondering why I brought you here." Aisha sighed. "Wishfully as I am, there is no happiness in what I'm about to tell you."

"Well, what is it?" Jay asked, scooting closer to Nya. He intertwined his fingers with her's, listening intensely to what was about to be said.

"Once there lived the first Spinjitzu master, his power was great. Beyond anything that could be seen, the power of creation. As you all have known, his merciful power has greatly been bestowed upon to Wu, then to your friend, Lloyd." She sighed. "But with great power, comes great want. Lloyd, your power is wanted with many. I cannot instill why but do trust me when I say that you're in great danger."

"Pish Posh, we've been through this before." Kai joked.

Aisha frowned. "I fear you're not taking this seriously enough. You do not know the enemy, she is great in strength, and wisdom."

"And so are we," Zane commented. "We've taken down countless enemy's before; we can easily do it again."

"If you don't mind me asking, aren't you the more logical one?"

"It would seem so."

"So why aren't you convincing your fellow peers of such dangers?"

"I've simply chosen to trust them, and their ways."

Nobody knew what to say between the two talking, it would seem that they were speechless. Zane rarely got into arguments with anyone, and to get into a scrabble with a stranger had seemed unlikely. Now, the nindrioid was easily proving everyone else wrong.

So many things had changed in such little time

Lloyd had always hated when he was the center of a subject, but now, he really couldn't watch any longer. Standing up, he quietly sneaked away from the argument at hand, and took in a large, deep breath when he was alone.

Surrounded by glimmering emeralds, he ran his hand down the green crystal. His power seemed to be heightened when he touched the emeralds, which invoked a weird response from him. He simply didn't know what to say.

Things are the present moment were very confusing

First the villain, that they didn't even know the name of, was after him. Then figuring out that there is a weird cave with an even weirder number of emeralds simply sitting stagnant. And the cherry on top, meeting a girl that might've revisited some romantic feelings that Lloyd used to feel for someone, but hadn't for a long time.

"I couldn't stay either." A voice said from behind him, turning around, Lloyd saw the familiar face of Cole. Of whom looked quite sad.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that Lloyd, I know how much you hate the spotlight."

Lloyd ran a hand through his hair. "It's really the spotlight that bothers me; it's the issue itself that is causing me pain."

"Me to bud," Cole put a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's not fair, how everyone's always after you."

"Yeah, I mean, what about me is so special? I'm just a boy playing hero, yet everyone thinks that the hero is playing me. I…I'm sorry."

"It's ok Lloyd, you didn't ask for this."

Didn't he? He did agree to be a ninja, taking an oath to always protect everyone. Lloyd just hadn't thought he needed to always protect himself as well.

Some called it a sacrificial idiot, Lloyd called it his nature

"It just seems like I'm failing is all." He spoke softly. "The point of being a ninja is protecting everyone else, but how can I protect others when I can't protect myself?"

The earth ninja slung an arm over Lloyd' shoulder. "That's why we're here bud, to help protect you. You know that it doesn't hurt to let us in."

"I know," Lloyd chucked, pushing his arm off playfully, but not with success. Cole rubbed his little brothers hair, earning a few chuckles. The youngest tried to pull him off, but even though he was leader, Cole was so much more powerful when it came to strength.

Finally, after a few moments Cole pulled away and embraced the youngest.

"Don't forget we're here, Lloyd. Don't run yourself into the ground." He spoke softly. "You may be the leader, but you're still human."

Lloyd lowered his head down into the crook of Cole's neck. If anyone could've seen through his façade, it would've been Kai or Cole. He didn't know how they did it, but that they just did. It was refreshing to know that his feelings couldn't be concealed to some.

They pulled away, gazing at the emeralds. There was a perfect shine, and maybe that was enough hope to light up Lloyd's failing happiness.

Maybe it would be just enough

Chapter Text

The cave was enormous

So big that the rest of the ninja had a hard time digesting that it was actually there. And they were actually seeing it with their own eyes. That it wasn't a dream, nor a nightmare.

Everyone else went off exploring, as there was much to see. But Lloyd stayed back, not because he was scared, but he was overwhelmed. Something about the emeralds called out to him, beckoned him to come closer. But if being a ninja taught him one thing, it was to always look deeper before going on a whole new different adventure.

And that's how Aisha found him, alone and thinking

For the longest time, it had only been her. In such a big cave. There had been no one to talk to, nor even gaze at. Nothing but the cave walls, that is. And after a while, that eventually got boring to.

Except, Aisha knew what Lloyd was thinking. For a while, she had been wondering about it to.

"Hey Lloyd, would you take a walk with me?" Aisha asked.

The green ninja nodded, then stood up. Following her, the young girl took him to a more secluded part of the cave. There were still emeralds, but these one's were different. These one's didn't call out to him as much as the others did.

Aisha eventually sat down, beckoning for him to do the same. Then she gently placed her hand on his, her eyes gazed upon his deep pains, his deepest insecurities, and yet…his biggest hopes. Wu said that the eyes were the window to the soul, well maybe he was right.

Because just as easily as Aisha could see his pains, he could also as easily see her's. Whatever it was, it was deep. It had been a while since the young girl had attained the pains riddling her system. But then again, it wasn't so long ago if she was still reliving it over and over again.

Or maybe it was

There was much to still be discovered

"I bet you're curios, Lloyd. And I'm here to answer your questions, whatever they may be. Please do lay your curiosity's on me." Aisha's voice was considerably light, just as her spirit.

Things often happened in correlation; Lloyd was no stranger to that concept. Aisha, wherever she came from, was from a high place of glory. She has fallen, yet she had gotten back up. A warrior at heart. One thing that Lloyd found attractive in a women.

But he did have one question

"Why are you here?"

Aisha pulled back, just as she had done before. But then she came back, both physically and mentally. Blinking rather rapidly, her breathing increased along with the tension in the room. It almost made the green ninja wished he hadn't said anything.

But then she spoke, and oh so sad was her tale

"I…I'm not who you think I am. My parents were guardians over this cave, and naturally it came down to me once they…passed."

"Why did you're parents need to guard this? Aren't these just emeralds?"

Aisha stood up, slowly guiding her hands over the smooth crystal. In reality, she should've told him the whole truth. But then again, she knew that it would be unwise.

So, the young girl only told half the truth

"These are emeralds…to an extent. They have the ability to heal those who are injured. Except, they can only be used once. When one emerald is used, or two depending on the circumstance. The rest of the emeralds die, and naturally, the cave dies as well."

Lloyd's eyebrows creased. "But you're parents…."

"They knew, Lloyd. They knew that it could heal them," Aisha sighed. "But they told me not to, said that something in the future would require the usage of them. And to protect the cave until then. It took every fiber in my being not to use them…but…it still hurts, Lloyd. And I'm scared I might never heal again."

"You will."

The green ninja stood up, embracing Aisha in a tender hug. Almost immediately she broke down, sobbing into his shoulder. Piles of trauma sealed in a briefcase, that's what he called it. He knew Aisha had been trying to stay strong, to let her parents death not bother her too much.

But at one point, everyone snapped

And that was this moment

Lloyd let her cry, even let her yell to the skies if she wanted to. Except, Aisha did none of that. In fact, after a few minutes, the young girl calmed down, taking in a healthy amount of deep breaths. Stood up straight and sat back down.

Any evidence of her crying wasn't noticeable

He didn't know what to say next

"I know you're curios what these emeralds of powered by." Aisha's voice was back to being soft, not as tender as before though.

Lloyd grimaced. "Aisha…"

"I'm fine. Now, do you want to know?"

"Um…"

"Life."

Lloyd turned around, confused. "What?"

"They are powered off the elemental power of life." Aisha looked at Lloyd, dead center. "That's what makes them work, how they can heal other people."

"That's cool. But Aisha…."

"I'm fine Lloyd, please don't worry about me." She stood back up, gathering his hands in her's. "I've always been fine, so please, let's just leave that embarrassing outburst in the past."

Lloyd didn't know what to exactly say about that, if he should really leave it all behind. Or bring it back up. It seemed like the right thing to do, but then again, it wasn't his job to manage Aisha's emotions. All he could really do was help.

He nodded, as Aisha let go. Watching her leave to find the rest of the ninja, Lloyd bit his lip. When did everything get so complicated?

And...was it getting better or worse?

Aisha had acted weird, brushing off her emotions like it was nothing. Which only made it seem that they weren't the first people to find the cave.

Another question filled his mind

Were they truly the only ones?

Or did someone else find it first?

Chapter Text

It started with a cough

Lloyd had gotten sick before; he knew it quite well. As a ninja whose been experienced in all biomes, it was hard to not get sick. New places often have equaled new strands of diseases. This seemed to be no different to the green ninja.

Aisha had been very kind to let them stay in her cave until they could figure out a valid solution. Which was going nowhere, everyone was too busy taking a much-needed break. Nobody called it lazy, they called it being resourceful with their time.

But throughout this break, Lloyd noticed one small detail

He was getting sick

And at such a fast rate, it was almost alarming. One second it was a sniffle, next a cough and then it transformed into a painful spasms of his tender muscles. Most nights, the green ninja found himself groaning from the pain, needing to dip his aching muscles in water. That only really relieved it for a few minutes.

And that was a miracle at that

The other ninja found it concerning, wanting to talk about it more than anything. But Lloyd was stubborn in that aspect, not needing comfort from anyone but himself.

"Lloyd, we know something is wrong," Kai's eyebrows creased. "You keep trying to hide it, but we see you."

The green ninja sighed. "And what do you see, Kai? Anything worth telling?"

"I watched you get up last night. And I also watched you dip your legs in the water. Something is wrong, you usually hate getting wet." Jay piped up. His hands were sparking, a subtle but noticeable fact that he was anxious about something. '

Cole nodded his head. "And you keep grimacing, like you're in pain. You're hiding something from us, Lloyd."

"It's nothing," Lloyd pinched the bridge of his nose. "FSM guys, it's just a muscle ache. You know we get those all the time."

"But for this long?"

"Yes Cole, very much yes."

Nya came over, sitting close to the famous green ninja. She grabbed his hands, then looked dead straight at him in the eyes.

"You promise that you would tell us if you were hurting?" She asked. "Because Lloyd, we can't know what you're feeling if you don't tell us."

Lloyd squeezed her hands softly. "I promise, Nya. Don't you worry."

"I suspect you are not telling the full truth, Lloyd."

"I'll be fine, Zane. Please don't worry about me, I can handle myself."

And that's where the conversation ended, but that wasn't where it was going to end. Eventually someone else was going to bring it back up. Probably Kai, or Zane. If it was Zane, it was game over. There was no winning against a nindrioid.

For the next few days, everyone continued to explore. As the cave was one endless maze, another corridor opening up to another. Of which, it was equally easy to get lost in.

It was one of these corridors that Cole, Zane, and Lloyd were exploring

"I wonder how old these are," Cole ran his hands down the walls. "And why they are here."

"I believe these corridors are a form of transportation," Zane spoke. "These date back to the Oni and Dragon wars. I wonder if this was a mode of transit for one side."

Lloyd grimaced. "If anything, I'm betting my money on the Oni."

"Makes sense, as the dragons usually used air for their transportation. It wouldn't make sense for them to be underground. It was most likely the Oni, using this underground cave as a way of transportation or storage."

"What do you think they were transporting?"

"Something big,'" Cole gulped. "There's a large hole ahead."

He pointed toward a large hole in the cave, the size alone standing out against the stark contrast brown of the cave walls. The ninja just stood there, either admiring it, or being afraid of why a thing like that was doing down here. Or even how they got it down here in the first place.

That was when Lloyd felt it

A tug at his gut, a stab at his heart. Almost immediately, his entire body felt as it was ignited on fire, burning through every susceptible organ. Lloyd groaned, almost letting his knee's buckle, but being able to hold himself up for a little while longer.

"Lloyd?"

"What's wrong?"

He internally swore. "I'm fine, just my stomach hurting a tiny bit."

"It doesn't look like a tiny bit…."

"Cole help him walk; we're going back."

Lloyd tried to argue back, saying that he was completely fine. But that wasn't the case, and he knew it. The pain was getting worse. Continuing to hinder his progress when it came to walking. Luckily, Cole was able to help take off most the weight.

But even then, Lloyd felt himself start to drape more towards the floor. His stomach was twisted up, his head in even more shambles.

"Lloyd?" Cole asked.

"Keep walking," Lloyd bit out. "I'll be ok."

The walk back was nothing but adventurous, or at least that's what it felt like. Lloyd stumbled every little part, and Cole, being himself, was to take over more and more of his weight. Zane kept an eye on the fevered teen, saying that he was only watching. But they knew what he was really doing.

Eventually – by some miracle – they reached the others

"Help!" Cole called out. "Lloyd needs help!"

The others came running over, their faces contorted into nothing but worry. They laid their green ninja on the floor, not really knowing what to do next. Lloyd had been hurt before. He had even been sick before. But nothing like this, at such an alarming rate.

"Maybe Aisha knows whats wrong…" Jay suggested, feeling as helpless as before. "She knows things that we don't."

But the wanderer was nowhere to be found, the other ninja saying that she had left for some odd reason.

"What reason?" Cole asked.

Nya shrugged. "She had said that she felt something, I don't really know what exactly."

"A dark presence."

The ninja jumped at her voice, turning around to see a very distressed Aisha. She frowned, making the tense aura in the room dip to a high-time low.

"Evolet's entered the cave," Aisha grimaced. "She knows exactly where we are. We don't have a lot of time."

Chapter Text

He heard her tone first before her words

Even knowing her as little as he has, Lloyd could tell – even with his eyes closed – that Aisha had worry coating her entire aura. Could tell that something was so desperately wrong. He wanted to stand up, hold her, and be the nothing to her everything.

But he was busy fighting a battle of his own

The tugging on his gut was only steadily increasing, leaving a sense of pain riddling the rest of his aching system. Everyone else in the room seemed to be as stuck as he was, in deep-knee mud that covered their eyes. Except they were ninja, that was the funny, most ironic thing there.

Cole was the first to speak up all their worries combined.

"What do we do?" He asked. "Can we fight her?"

Aisha shook her head miserably. "She's too powerful, too full of magic that none of you could possibly sustain. I only have one temporary solution."

She lifted her hands high in the arm, pushing her fingertips to the sky. A power washes over the lot, washing away the tension, worry, everything else in-between.

Nya perks up next. "What was that?"

"A cloaking power, and a powerful one too." Zane cuts in. "I didn't know you had elemental power."

"It's nothing much out of the ordinary. Though it's the only one I have, sadly." Aisha sighs. Lowering herself to the ground. "It should keep her out of our hair for the time-being. But not for long, it's hard on my physical body to keep up."

With that subtle worry out of the way, everyone else focused on the next problem. Rather smaller than the first, but just as equally worrying. Lloyd laid on the floor, his eyes open. The attention was really getting to him, letting him on the quota that he was a sickening boy who had no hold on his own life. It was rather annoying.

Trying to sit up, Lloyd kept his gasp as quiet as he could. It was quiet, that was for sure. But it wasn't unmissed.

"Maybe you should lie back down," the fiery ninja suggested, his red suit clinging to his sweaty, shaking body.

Lloyd shook his head. "I'm fine."

Standing up, wobbly he might add, the feet he called his own almost betraying him. Almost letting him fall again to the sandy floor. The others stayed nearby, holding out their arms in a way that was almost comical.

But Aisha was nowhere to be seen, her head of green hair not blending in the background. And although his vision is severely spotty, a horrible side effect to an unknown disease, Lloyd knew she wasn't here.

"I'm going to find Aisha."

And with that, his shaky legs carried him out the small portion of the large cave. He walked around longer than he liked, almost cursing the girl he had fallen in love with. How she could disappear in less than five seconds flat. Disappear while leaving the boy – who he thought she had also fallen in love with – behind, to struggle and breath.

Lloyd knew he would forgive her, but he had to find her first

"AISHA!" His voice carried far in those tunnels. "Please come out of your little hiding spot!"

"I'm not hiding."

Her tender, sweet voice was soft enough that it was almost hard to not miss. But the green ninja knew her voice anywhere, knew how it carried each syllable with a delicacy that it only made his heart pound faster in the view of her. Knew how she could make any word, even harsh, seem sweet. And he knew how much his heart yearned for just a glimpse of the gorgeous goddess.

Turning around, he is barely able to turn his gaze on the young girl. Who comfortably sat in a corner, her head to her knees and shaking. Everything seemed wrong about this situation, how someone who seemed to have it all together, didn't. How Aisha was able to have the mask of steel while ripping herself inside and out.

It was a wonder she hadn't already collapsed, truly

Lloyd walked over, plopping himself next to her. "What's wrong?"

Aisha is quiet for a moment, rubbing her raw skin dry. She's shaking pretty harshly, only being able to keep her back seemly pressed against the cave walls. It was unsuccessful, her arch of her back gave it all away.

And then she spoke, and oh boy did it break his heart

"I couldn't do it," her voice quietly quivering. "I wish I could've made them proud. They died, and I almost…almost used the emeralds on them. Almost brought them back to life, but I stupidly listened to them. Who guessed I would've failed this hard."

She goes on. "I couldn't even protect this cave, my home. Now I…."

He wraps his arms around her before she could continue. Aisha immediately derails, leaning into his embrace, openly sobbing into his shoulder. Lloyd just lets her cry, lets her let out all that reserved anger towards some being. Some foreign entity.

Lloyd rubs her back, whispering sweet nothing's into her ear. Not directly, but his whisper carries unto her trembling form. She looks up at him, bringing her hand to his cheek. Aisha had never, ever been so close to someone before. Not even her parents, of whom she had idly been reserving in her heart.

A feeling of both passion, fear, and the unknown wash through her beating heart. Warning her of such a danger to Aisha's equilibrium of calm. How he could so easily uproot everything she was with one simple word.

Love

That's all it would take

He inches closer, his lips threatening to be put on her's. And for some reason, she want's him too. Aisha wants nothing more than to be swallowed up in the love he had for her. She wants nothing more than to be held while she poured out her love into one simple kiss.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, she pushes the limit. Push's how far she could get close to him; how close he would allow. She hadn't reached it yet.

"I'm scared," his whisper carries volumes. "What if I mess this? What if I get hurt again?"

Aisha brushes a piece of blond hair from his face. "You wouldn't ever mess up what can't ever be unbroken. And as for betrayal, Lloyd, I could never betray you. Only love you."

There was that word again

The cursed word of her existence

But it was the perfect word, the perfect word that she longed for. The perfect word that could almost fix everything. Because with love, there was no simple answer. Only a path, of whom she had yet to take.

He had never closed the distance faster

His lips crashed into her's, his arms wrapping around her waist. Never had she felt enough love to fill up her heart, mind, and everything else in-between. Never had she wanted to pour love into something so simple.

Her arms wrapped tighter against his neck, against his entire being

But all too soon did a shattering sound, a yell that held more emotion, it was concerning. Lloyd and Aisha pulled away, breathing hard.

"What do you think happened now?" She asked, her forehead on his.

Lloyd frowned. "I don't know."

He stood up, grabbing her hand to do the same. It isn't long before their both running, from what and to? They don't know

And maybe they've should've held their breath tighter